SO. I loved this capsule closet plan. I am excited to continue it into the next season.
These past two and a half months I found that it was way too easy to just stick with the pieces. Frighteningly easy. I ended up buying two new things and adding them in - warm boots from Target and a navy puffy vest for morning walks. Both have gotten a lot of use and both I will be adding to my winter wardrobe. I also ended up getting a sweater out of storage when it started to get "chilly" and I needed extra layers.
But other than that - success. No random splurges. No "shopping just to look." No "but it's on sale!" No super cluttered closet with stuff I don't love. No, "oh this shirt is cute, maybe I should get it in two colors!" Overall, it was pretty great.
I am very excited to try it again for the next three months - January through March.
Towards the end of the first week of December (so earlier than I had planned) I started looking through my pinterest boards and thinking about what I wanted January through March to look like. SPOILER ALERT - really neutral and cozy. I went through my current closet and chose what would stay. Then I went though my bins of clothes and picked out some stuff I've had for years that I wanted to bring back in (this felt like Christmas morning). Last, I made a list of things that I wanted to add. The list looked like this:
- black denim (I went with my stand-by jean, the jcrew toothpick)
- white sweatshirt (I found one similar to this on super sale)
- long sleeve plaid in blue or black (I asked for this for Christmas)
- black and white striped shirt (loved the extra detailing on this one)
- a white silk shirt (this came to me c/o Popbasic)
After wearing limited stuff for a few months, shopping for new stuff was more of a challenge. I found that there was a huge difference between "yeah, this is fine." and "yes, this really works." The fine stuff doesn't cut it anymore (which I realize is how it should have been all along). I tried on a lot of pieces and returned a lot of online purchases before I felt good about my decisions. The items starred in the links below are new and I did my best to find a similar source for older items.
I do not think you need to buy anything to make a capsule closet work. Totally the opposite actually. My goal is to round-out my wardrobe this first year so that's why I had a few versatile items on my shopping list.
TOPS & DRESSES : 3191 handmade tunic top, oversize cardigan (similar & similar), heart blouse, white silk blouse*, white sweatshirt* (similar), cream loose fitting tee (similar), white v-neck, gray cardigan (similar), topshop tee, madewell v neck, "Ellery" patterned top, black and white stripe top*, statement tee (similar), black polka dot top, black longsleeve (similar), Awesome Time baseball tee (purchased here last spring but appears to no longer be available), puffy vest*, navy sweatshirt*, striped top (similar), navy plaid*, light chambray (similar).
Mostly, this next season I am excited to slightly change up the color palette. Less red. More winter white and tan. No shorts (I might regret that). A ton more tops (layers are my favorite and I found myself wanting more top than bottom options last season).
I got a question the other day if I find myself missing color in my wardrobe and the answer is no. Not at all. This neutral style is what I am drawn to. I think this actually was a big part of why I had so much stuff in my closet and not a lot got worn. I would buy the colorful tops thinking "yes!" but when it came time to actually put them on and leave the house, I always thought "no!" and reached for the gray tee. (Or worse, I'd leave the house in the teal top and then get to the restaurant and think, "Damn. I wish I'd worn that gray top.")
I do love color! My goodness, I love color. But in my wardrobe I have learned that just a few colorful dresses for fancy occasions (exhibit a, old from anthro & exhibit b, from nordstrom) are enough. In my everyday life, the neutrals are what I feel my best in (and are so easy to mix and match because everything goes together.)
BOTTOMS, DRESSES & SHOES : jcrew toothpick jeans lighter wash, jcrew toothpick jeans, madewell slim boyjean, jcrew toothpick black denim*, double dare maxi skirt (size up for best fit), skinny pocket pants (similar), xhileration black and gold skirt (from Target but I couldn't find an online source), black maxi dress, black and white striped dress (similar), rainbow sandals, tan ballet flats (similar color), minnetonka moccasins, canvas slip-ons, warm boots, madewell boots (similar)
It's 36 pieces again this time (19 roll-overs, 8 pulled from storage, 7 purchases/gift items and 2 colder weather requirements). That gold and black skirt is sort of the wildcard, but I figured between NYE, my birthday and trip to Vegas it will get worn. I am already starting to rotate things in (and the shorts have been packed away). It feels good to change things up and I can already see that I have a "better" style (for me) evolving after just a few months. I was sad to say good-bye to my favorite item from autumn, the denim vest, but it's coming back in April, for sure.
I said this last time, but it's worth repeating : my daily life is very casual. If I had an out of the house job that required fancier clothing, I would most likely to do smaller capsules of 30 pieces (weekday) and 15 pieces (weekend). But there are so many ways to do this and no "right" way.
The goal for me is to be mindful about what I am buying and wearing. I am NOT a big fan of getting dressed but I'm a huge fan of looking somewhat pulled together. This is helping me bridge those two things.
Anyone else attempting this again? Or for the first time? Sort of addicting, no?
many links are affiliate.
